Magic found in the mundane and "echoes" of the past reaching across time drive two sisters, that were divided by the sudden loss of their mother, to find the truth of her disappearance in their lives.

Zadie has had to survive, mostly living with boyfriends and trying to suppress her ability to glimpse the future, since her mother "left" and never returned five years ago. Unable to care for her younger sister, Finn, their lives have been on separate roads since that day. In an effect to try to hold on to some form of family, Zadie hopes to spend a post-graduation vacation with Finn. But Finn had other ideas.

The story becomes an adventure for these two sisters as they set out to find not only Nora, their mother; but the truth about the bonds of family and what deals this them together. The sparks of magic that they carry within them shine a light on a world that they never knew - highlighting characters as unique as the stars amd just as diverse, making the story all that much more enriching.

While the author proves she can draw the reader in their this journey of growth and insight, I will tell you that I felt that not having as much vested interest or knowledge of Nora made it hard for me to be be swayed by the author's reasoning. This could be why I felt the ending of the journey was lackluster and underwhelming.

Overall, it was just the kind of story I enjoy reading during the summer with that family ties feel and adventure-quality.

** Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion **

I honestly had no idea this was YA while I read it. Only when I went to review did I see it was listed in the YA categories. To me, this novel is one part women's fiction, one part sisterhood, one part family drama, and one part Magical Realism. Zadie has a sixth sense that the author uses to advance the story, Rather, than having it be unbelievable and something to mock the character for. It is there and yes, one of the main components in the sister's division, but it is more insight, common sense, and memory.
This is a unique story I have not even come close to reading before and it is so much bigger than just the YA audience.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang

329 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Release Date: November 15, 2022

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Sci Fi, Fantasy, Psychic, Mother/Daughter and Sister Relationships

Nora Wilder walked away from her life. Her daughters, Zadie and Finn are now young women. Zadie was almost 18 when she left, and Finn was 12 so she went into foster care. After her high school graduation, Finn asked Zadie to go on an adventure to find their mother before she agrees to let her foster parents adopt her. Zadie can look into the future but has ignored her gift. Finn experiences echoes from other people’s past. They must use their skills together to piece together what happened to their mother.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are very developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. Zadie is the older protective sister while Finn is the younger adventurist sister. The sisters’ relationship is not as close as they would like because of circumstances beyond their control. Each sister grows up and together throughout the story. If you like psychic adventures or stories with the mother/daughter relationship, you will enjoy reading this book.

This was an intriguing book. Yes, there are people with little special gifts (sixes as some people in the trailer park call themselves) but to me, it was more about the journey of two sisters looking for their mother who disappeared several years ago. Zadie and Finn discovered secrets and I think it was cool to see how they both grew closer (after their trials on the trip). The ending however was just a bit odd, and not quite what I expected, even with all the hints about birds. Finn with her echoes of other's memories was both interesting and helpful for that journey, and the danger from those echoes added some nice spice.

So, overall it was a good book and I am glad I got the chance to read it.

This book had so much going that had me hooked.

Nora and her girls.
Finn and Zadia, sister relationships.
The powers of the sixth sense.
Strangers aren't always really that.
Revisiting past realtionships.
Family you never new you had.

I’ve been a fan of Ruth Emmie Lang since I read her debut novel, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, and her newest work does not disappoint. It’s a beautiful story of family, sisterhood, and the storms that bring us together and tear us a part. It’s beautifully complex, and I’ll be recommending it to all my book club friends.

I can't begin this review without first saying that Ruth Emmie Lang's debut, Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance, is one of my all-time favorite books. Like, if I could carry it around with me at all times like a blankey, I would...that's how much I love that book. I have given it as gifts, I have begged people to read it saying "read this and you will understand how I feel about books." It's because of this love that I had unbelievably high expectations of The Wilderwomen, bordering on unreasonably high expectations if I'm being totally honest. When I received the free review copy, I canceled all my plans (I had no plans, I never have plans) to sit down and read it.

In The Wilderwomen, the Wilder women have _abilities_: some embraced, some ignored, but none fully explained since Nora Wilder, mom of Sadie and Finn, disappeared from their lives years ago, leaving the girls untethered and confused about their uniqueness and their place in the world. When they decide to trace their mother's footsteps to try and find out what really happened to her, will they like what they uncover?

What makes Lang's writing so special to me is how she effortlessly weaves magic realism into her stories. It never feels forced or false, it just is. I always get so swept up in her prose that I find myself a little bit envious of her characters and their magic. I want to be magic.

But alas, I am not magic so I have to live vicariously through her rich and well-rounded out characters. Sisters Finn and Zadie are a delight. They are both headstrong, flawed, and trying to figure out how to reconnect with each other and find their mother and get much-need answers about their past in order to have a future. I was all-in for the journey and really enjoyed the characters met along the way also.

While this one didn't make it into my heart in quite the same way BEASTS did, I still loved it, I'll still re-read it and I still want to be magic. Thank you for that, Emmie.

**thank you to Net Galley & St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy**

takes a hot minute to get familiar with the characters but once you do, its so good. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Nora Wilder disappeared five years ago. Her daughters, Zadie and Finn, have special gifts where they can see the future and read people's memories, but they didn't see this coming. Now the daughters are setting out on an adventure to find their mom. Bouncing back and forth between Nora's pre-disappearance timeline and present-day, this story unfolds the relationships between mothers and daughters, the bonds of sisterhood, and the many gifts of the world. Will they reunite with their mom? Can they save themselves in the process? What will it all cost them?

This book is a wild, beautiful ride. I didn't have many expectations, and it took me a little time to buy into the magical realism part of the story. I still felt like I didn't fully get into it, but that didn't keep me from the suspense of the quest or the love between the sisters. I felt like there were some parts of the story that didn't go nearly as deep as I wanted. The writing is beautiful and Lang knows how to paint a vivid picture of nature. I could feel each setting as they arrived.

I liked how the magical realism/abilities were done and imagined. The story itself did not keep my attention like I thought it would. I was, however, satisfied with the ending.

My favorite character by far was Joel, but he was the least “interesting” but I liked the concept of finding and controlling the power within as portrayed with the two sister characters. This is a good road trip novel for when your reading tastes want an adventure.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the gifted ecopy. All views expressed are my own.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Five years ago, Nora Wilder disappeared, leaving her two daughters, Zadie and Finn all on their own. Bonded by their shared gifts, but separated by the DOC, Zadie and Finn find themselves at a crossroads after Finn graduates from high school.

When Finn decides to turn their beginning of summer “bonding” beach trip into a search for their mother, will Zadie be able to come to terms with the way that Nora left them all those years ago? Will Finn be able to trace back her mother’s footsteps without losing herself in the process?

The Wilderwomen is a beautifully written story about family and mothers and their daughters. Like Lang’s first novel, the language and descriptiveness of the story is eloquent and riveting. I loved watching Zadie and Finn reconnect while also coming to understand why Nora left. A great book for those who are fans of magical realism.

Thanks to Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ruth Emmie Lang for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Read if you like:

+ Practical Magic
+ Magical Realism
+ Family sagas / reunification

Thank you, NetGalley and St Martin's Press, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Five years ago Nora Wilder disappeared and even though her daughter Zadie was able to see the future, she couldn't see that coming. On the other hand, Finn, her estranged younger sister is not also able to remember everything happened to her, but also to perceive other people's memories and when, on the day of her graduation's party, she's seized by an "echo", a familiar song and she wakes up alone in an aviary, not remembering how she got there, she realizes the memory belongs to her mother. Now, after convincing Zadie to look for their mother, following her "echoes" and hitting the highway, the sisters have to understand what exactly happened five years ago and why their mother disappeared. While following the echoes, though, Finn starts to slip away, losing herself in her mother's memories and struggling to come back to her own present and Zadie is forced to choose what's the right thing to do: keep following their mother's echoes or helping her sister, or lose them both.

The Wilderwomen is a brilliant story with amazing protagonists, with peculiar abililities. Written skillfully, focusing on Zadie and Finn and their lost mother, the story is intriguing, captivating and so extraordinary. A fiction interwoven with supernatural elements, an on the road trip story and with sisters who bond in order to understand what happened to their mother and solve the mystery of her disappearance, while also understanding their own relationship. Ethereal, thrilling and so perfect to read in every season, The Wilderwomen couldn't be more recommended.

2 sisters join forces to go on a road trip to find their mom. Each possess a distinct ‘power’ that they use to try and figure out where to go.

I really enjoyed this book. It didn’t have quite the magical feel to it that I was hoping for but it was still a fun read. My one tiny complaint was…I felt it was a bit too long. I am glad how the romance played out though.

The Wilderwomen pulled me in immediately. The writing is so beautiful and there were parts I had to pause and read again because I loved it so much.

This is the story of two sisters - Finn and Zadie - who each have their own special powers. I loved the way the magical realism fit seamlessly into the story.

The plot was where this lost me just a little bit - it was fine, but didn’t quite live up to the writing and the characters for me. Zadie and Finn’s mom left them a number of years ago - we get some flashbacks to before their mom left and then the story of the sisters in current time. I just found myself wishing for a little more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang was provided by @netgalley in exchange for a review.

Nora Wilder has 2 daughters and one day she goes missing. The two daughters are separated. The older one is on her own and the other is in a foster family. The younger one is about to graduate high school and commandeers the graduation trip her sister had planned to try and find their mom. Sounds simple enough, but in this family the girls have powers that might be helpful in finding their mom.

❤️Review❤️

So I really enjoyed Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstances last year, which made me super excited to read this one. It’s definitely a readable book, but I wanted something more from it. I didn’t find anything really enjoyable. Often times I felt like I was just trudging through the book and nothing was really pulling me into the story. It’s not a bad book by any means, but I was just looking to be more connected to the story than I was. So even though I didn’t love it, I would definitely try another book by her since I have been connected to a book by her in the past.

3 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Netgalley #EBooks #DigitalBooks #BookReview #MagicalRealism #MysteryBooks #ContemporaryBooks #Sisterhood #NewBooks #BooksBooksBooks #WinterReading #Read

Two years ago I had read and loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance so when I got the opportunity to read and review Ruth Emmie Lang’s newest novel, I jumped at it. I procrastinated reading it and the longer I let it sit the less I felt like reading it so I finally picked it up one day. I would have thought a book that had characters with psychic abilities would have thrilled me a little more than it ended up doing. I had a very hard time connecting and caring about Zadie. This book has so many emotions running through it but I struggled to feel anything but boredom to be perfectly honest. The plot and characters just never fully gripped me. Overall I was just very disappointed with this book. Maybe if I read it in a more philosophical type mood this would have worked better for me as many people seem to have enjoyed it so I wouldn’t necessarily take my word on this one.

I was very intrigued, it just didn’t hit me right away. As the story develops, it gets better and better, but it took some time to get into.

Ruth Emmie Lang is a super interesting author, & this is the second book by her that I really enjoyed.

I wanted to like this one so much but I ended up not being able to vibe with it. It was too atmospheric for me. DNF @30%.

I have been waiting for this book since June 2020. I loved Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance. I thought it was just so magical and whimsical. It just brought me so much joy. So right away I had to add this to my to read list. Unfortunately, this story didn't grab me. Yes this book had the fantasy and magical realism the other book had. I just wasn't fully invested in this story. I just finished the book and I already feel most of what I read slipping from my memory. I'm so bummed because I was looking forward to this. I really wanted to have another favorite from this author.